Faculty
Meng Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Email mengwang [at] central.uh.edu
Education
Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 10/2018
M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 03/2015
B.S., Environmental Science, Nanjing University, China, 06/2012
Professional Experience
Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, 09/2025-Present
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 09/2020-08/2025
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 11/2018-07/2020
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 10/2012-10/2018
Classes
CIVE 4333 Water and Wastewater Treatment
Awards & Honors
NSF CAREER Award (2025).
Scialog Negative Emissions Science Fellow, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (2023).
Student Award, Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Annual Conference (2017).
MWH/AEESP Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, Second Place, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2016).
Certificate of Merit, ACS Spring 2016 National Meeting & Exposition (2016).
Student Paper Competition Honorable Mention, Emerging Contaminants Summit (2016).
Outstanding Student in School of the Environment, Nanjing University (2010).
Research Interests
My research integrates experimental and computational approaches, such as synthetic biology, bionanotechnology, and machine learning, to advance our understanding of biological processes at the molecular level and translate this knowledge into sustainable biotechnologies for environmental challenges in clean water and energy, climate change mitigation, and zero waste. Current directions focus on:
- Machine learning-aided protein design and engineering for environmental applications.
- Enhancing biocatalysis through microenvironment engineering with protein nanocompartments.
- Developing enzyme-inspired materials for water treatment and pollution remediation.
Invited Presentations / Lectures
- Green Synthesis of Laccase-Mimicking Bionanozymes from Simple Amino Acids for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants. 2024 RemTEC & Emerging Contaminants Summit, Westminster, CO, October 15-17, 2024. (Track Keynote Presentation)
- A Biocatalytic Nanoreactor Approach for Carbon Sequestration. 12th Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference, Marina del Rey, CA, November 11, 2023.
- An Innovative Bionanoreactor Approach for Enhanced CO2 Mineralization. Carbon Capture Science and Technology Conference, Online, July 21, 2023.
- Enhanced Performance of Enzymes Toward Contaminant Removal Using Encapsulation. Graduate Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA, September 30, 2022.
- Engineering Protein Compartments for Enhanced Biodegradation and Green Synthesis. Graduate Seminar, University at Buffalo, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Online, April 22, 2022.
- Repurposing a Common Household Bionanoparticle into a Sustainable Water Treatment System. University of Pittsburgh, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA, February 24, 2020.
- Vault-Based Enzyme Immobilization Platform for Environmental Applications. The 3rd Nanjing University Youth Forum, Nanjing, China, May 9, 2019.
Selected Publications
- For full list of publications, please visit: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vQcLjAcAAAAJ&hl=en
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
- Yingdi Zhang, Carlo Bais, Yiyang Yuan, Qi Huang, Lei Zhang, Meng Wang, Yang Liu. Exploring the Impact of Granular Activated Carbon on Anaerobic Digestion: Insights into Microbial Cross-Feeding Mechanism. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 2025, 13(5), 118012. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2025.118012.
- Dandan Yao, Yunhui Li, Kun Tian, Meng Wang, Ding Tan, Xingjia Fu, Hui Wang, Yonghong Wu, Yun Liu. Enhanced Photosynthetic CO2 Fixation in Mutualistic Chlorella sp. and Mesorhizobium loti Co-cultures. Chemical Engineering Journal 2025, 516, 163671. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.163671.
- Zhiqian Han, Yifei Ma, Meng Wang. Ferritin Protein Nanocages for Selective Separation and Recovery of Critical Metals. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2025, 12(5), 567-572. DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00181.
- María J Jiménez Vizcarra, Zhiqian Han, Peng Gao, Meng Wang. Underrecognized Three-Carbon Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons: Occurrence, Regulation, and Treatment Strategies. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 2025, 55(14), 1047-1069. DOI: 10.1080/10643389.2025.2484889.
- Yifei Ma, Shouliang Yi, Meng Wang. Biomimetic Carbon Mineralization for Direct CO2 Capture and Storage. Carbon Capture Science & Technology 2024, 13, 100257. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccst.2024.100257.
- Anthony Griffin, Mark Robertson, Parker Frame, Guorong Ma, Kevin A Green, Zhiqian Han, Sarah E Morgan, Xiaodan Gu, Meng Wang, Zhe Qiang. A General Strategy to Prepare Macro-/Mesoporous Materials from Thermoplastic Elastomer Blends. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2024, 12, 13139-13152. DOI: 10.1039/D4TA01590H.
- Kun Tian, Jie Pan, Yun Liu, Ping Wang, Ming Zhong, Yuanhua Dong, Meng Wang. Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst for heterogeneous Fenton oxidation of 1,4-dioxane: effect of Si/Al ratios and contributions of reactive oxygen species. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2024, 31, 19738-19752. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32287-0.
- María J Jiménez Vizcarra, Shaily Mahendra, Meng Wang. A Co-Immobilized Enzyme-Mediator System for Facilitating Manganese Peroxidase Catalysis in Solution Free of Divalent Manganese Ions. Bioresource Technology 2023, 129897. DOI: j.biortech.2023.129897.
- Nancy Merino, Ning Wang, Yifan Gao, Meng Wang, Shaily Mahendra. Roles of Various Enzymes in the Biotransformation of 6:2 Fluorotelomer Alcohol (6:2 FTOH) by a White-Rot Fungus. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2023, 450, 131007. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131007.
- Yifan Gao, Meng Wang, Kshitija Shah, Shashank Singh Kalra, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Decolorization and Detoxification of Synthetic Dye Compounds by Laccase Immobilized in Vault Nanoparticles. Bioresource Technology 2022, 351, 127040. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127040.
- Yifan Gao, Kshitjia Shah, Ivy Kwok, Meng Wang, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Immobilized Fungal Enzymes: Innovations and Potential Applications in Biodegradation and Biosynthesis. Biotechnology Advances 2022, 57, 107936. DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107936.
- Annesh Borthakur, Meng Wang, Meng He, Katia Ascencio, Jens Blotevogel, David T Adamson, Shaily Mahendra, Sanjay K Mohanty. Perfluoroalkyl Acids on Suspended Particles: Significant Transport Pathways in Surface Runoff, Surface Waters, and Subsurface Soils, Journal of Hazardous Materials 2021, 417, 126159. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126159.
- Meng Wang, Valerie A Kickhoefer, Esther H Lan, Bruce S Dunn, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Vault Nanocapsule-Mediated Biomimetic Silicification for Efficient and Robust Immobilization of Proteins in Silica Composites, Chemical Engineering Journal 2021, 418, 129406. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.129406.
- Anjali G Lothe, Shashank Singh Kalra, Meng Wang, Elizabeth Erin Mack, Claudia Walecka-Hutchison, Valerie A Kickhoefer, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Vault Packaged Enzyme Mediated Degradation of Amino-Aromatic Energetic Compounds. Chemosphere 2020, 242, 125117. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125117.
- Meng Wang, Sanjay K Mohanty, Shaily Mahendra. Nanomaterial-Supported Enzymes for Water Purification and Monitoring in Point-of-Use Water Supply Systems. Accounts of Chemical Research 2019, 52 (4), 876-885. DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00613.
- Meng Wang,# Yichang Chen,# Valerie A Kickhoefer, Leonard H Rome, Patrick Allard, Shaily Mahendra. A Vault-Encapsulated Enzyme Approach for Efficient Degradation and Detoxification of Bisphenol A and Its Analogues. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2019, 7 (6), 5808–5817. (#co-first author) DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b05432.
- Meng Wang, Valerie A Kickhoefer, Leonard H Rome, Oliver K Foellmer, Shaily Mahendra. Synthesis and Assembly of Human Vault Particles in Yeast. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 2018, 115 (12), 2941–2950. DOI: 10.1002/bit.26825.
- Nancy Merino, Meng Wang, Rocio Ambrocio, Kimberly Mak, Ellen O'Connor, An Gao, Elisabeth L Hawley, Rula A Deeb, Linda Y Tseng, Shaily Mahendra. Fungal Biotransformation of 6: 2 Fluorotelomer Alcohol. Remediation Journal 2018, 28 (2), 59-70. DOI: 10.1002/rem.21550.
- Zhi-Yong Zhu, Shao-Yong Jiang, Ryan Mathur, Nigel J Cook, Tao Yang, Meng Wang, Liang Ma, Cristiana L Ciobanu. Iron Isotope Behavior during Fluid/Rock Interaction in K-Feldspar Alteration Zone – A Model for Pyrite in Gold Deposits from the Jiaodong Peninsula, East China. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 2018, 222, 94–116. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2017.10.001.
- Meng Wang, Danny Abad, Valerie A Kickhoefer, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Vault Nanoparticles Packaged with Enzymes as An Efficient Pollutant Biodegradation Technology. ACS Nano 2015, 9 (11), 10931–10940. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b04073.
Books / Book Chapters
- Meng Wang, Danny Abad, Valerie A Kickhoefer, Leonard H Rome, Shaily Mahendra. Encapsulation of Exogenous Proteins in Vault Nanoparticles. In Protein Scaffolds: Design, Synthesis, and Applications; Udit, A. K., Ed.; Methods in Molecular Biology; Springer New York: New York, NY, 2018; pp 25–37. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7893-9_3.